Buzz Buzz

A little while ago a reader asked where I got my bee ring from. Good question!

I bought it from a stall on Market Day at uni (every second Wednesday, FYI) circa 2011. It cost $5 but in terms of cost per wear it was pretty much free.

It has a couple of buddies, including this awesome bee brooch I bought from a massive sale at Accessorize in Singapore airport.

And this necklace from Colette Accessories which I bought a few months ago.

James isn't a particular fan of the bee ring; he thinks it is "a bit gaudy". You can guess how he feels about its cousin the insect ring.

This is one of my favourite pieces of jewellery ever. I always have so much fun when I wear it and it will come in handy if I ever get in a fight/am a victim of an oppressive patriarchal society and need to give someone a good wallop.


In other news it was World Autism Day this week, and while you're being aware of autism you should read this New York Times article Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney. Warning: you might get something in your eye while you're reading this.


And what's this about Lindt chocolate supporting some dodgy autism charity that nobody likes? Cara are you reading this?


Have a super weekend.

Purchases, Melbourne, Thrift

I did declare another Frugal Feb at the beginning of last month but I wasn't so involved this time around. After all, my main expense - stuffing my face at every opportunity - was already covered by work while I was in Melbourne, and I'm trying to cut down on shopping.

Having said that, here is some stuff I acquired during Frugal Feb:

 

Windsor Smith black patent wedges, $64 (was $129.95) - DFO

Witchery pink jeans, $40 (was $99.95) and Witchery Kids leopard print belt, $7 (was $19.95) - DFO

 

I have wanted a skinny leopard belt like this for ages but the adults' ones are too big for my waist. I was so happy to find this one, especially at that price! From now on I'm doing all my accessories shopping in the kids' department.

This bracelet was a Valentine's Day present from Jimmy so it was free! Thanks James, I love it!

 

Our Man In Havana is borrowed from Jim and thus also free.  Watermelon came from the Salvo's store in Altona, I think it was $2.

 

Cotton On Body bras, $5 each - DFO. 

 

The Cotton On shop at DFO South Wharf appears to sell things from their stores overseas as well, because unlike the regular Aussie stores, this one had heaps of size 8 bras.  So if you're always searching for them like I am, you know where to go!

 

Target leopard print dress, $8 I think - Salvo's Altona

 

Howard Showers black dress, $40 (was $189 or something equally crazy) - DFO (Charlie Brown store)

 

I wore this dress three times while I was in Melbourne, i.e. once a week - cost per wear!  The first time was with black peeptoes and silver & diamante jewellery, to dinner with James.  The second was with the same shoes and the leopard print belt above, to Rockpool.  The third was with gold & black enamel earrings and my leopard shoes, on our awesome last night out.

 

You can't see it in this picture, but I'm pretty sure I wore my bee ring as well.  Buzz buzz.

 

Alcohol was another of my few expenses - I wasn't that restrained, but I did buy this on special!

 

Pilgrim navy camisole, $4, and Jacqui E raspberry knit, $6 - Salvo's Altona

 

Trying to pack light meant I bought most of my toiletries down there, then left them behind when I came home.  All of these were on sale, especially the body scrub ($3 I think, from DFO), the OPI You're A Pisa Work polish ($10) and the Hair Academy products from The Reject Shop.

 

I really liked the smell of the Herbal Essences shampoo.  The Taft hairspray is a new favourite, as is the Hair Academy pump action hairspray.  The Nivea lotion was like applying sunscreen, but gosh it worked well!

 

The body scrub smelled like the air fresheners in a shopping centre bathroom.  The John Freida hair stuff works pretty well but doesn't prevent static at all, and as the most expensive of the lot I really do not think it is worth a repurchase.

 

I bought these Kmart earrings for $6 (not on sale, that's just how much Kmart charges for earrings!) to wear with my black dress on our last night out because I was sick of all the jewellery I'd packed.  The J necklace is from Gloss, my favourite cosmetics and accessories chain - I think it was about $2 on sale.

 

 

So that's the lot! I am pretty happy with my purchases. I think I was pretty restrained considering, and quite practical too as I've worn/used almost everything already.  The total cost of all my clothes/accessories/cosmetics shopping plus two bottles of gin, three magazines and a few other sundries was about $330-$350 for the month.  It wasn't exactly the Struggle Street scenario of last year's Frugal Feb, but I'd call that pretty thrifty!

 

I was less thrifty with club entries, taxis and drinks when I went out, but I still reckon I would've spent about $300-$400 at the most.  It's a lot more than I'd spend normally but $100 a week for socialising isn't very much really, and for the amount of fun I had it's an absolute steal.

 

Last year I had lots of thrifty tips.  This year my advice is get a job at my work! (Disclaimer: the partying to working ratio will end up being like 1:100 - still beats most jobs!)

Friday

Before I start talking about how awesome Fridays are, I want to talk about something that isn't awesome: critical complainers.

 

After yesterday's post it's probably obvious that I don't have anything against complaints or criticisms per se, but some are just tedious and boring and bring everyone down.  There is a time and a place.  Sometimes the time is never and the place is nowhere. 

 

Hate the hot weather, the nightrider, a government policy you don't actually understand? Get a fan, get a cab, get a clue.  Think someone's university degree is pretty lame compared to yours? Keep that one to yourself, you pretentious butthead.  Unimpressed with a gift from a fan? Shut up Madonna, you're not that great.

 

 

 

 

It's okay to criticise some things, just don't criticise everything, always! And especially don't keep making the same criticism over and over.  Don't be a Debbie Downer!

 

 

If you just can't help being such a grouch, here are some blogs I like that might cheer you up:

 

Domestic Divinity, which I mentioned recently on the Expect Cowgirls Facebook page, is my second favourite blog after Faux Fuchsia.  It features lots of pictures of lovely things, and I really admire its writer, Mez, because she is very open and shares a lot more than most bloggers do, despite getting some seriously unpleasant commenters.

 

Me & Mr Oliver is a very recent discovery of mine (Mum, this is the one I was telling you about).  It's like The Julie/Julia Project, only with Jamie Oliver.  In my opinion it's better, because I prefer his recipes, and it's great to see a real person cooking them and getting such good results. 

 

Lovely Jublies is my new favourite right now.  You know Penelope Garcia in Criminal Minds, the fabulous woman who is always doing mad computer stuff while wearing an embellished cardigan and some kind of hair ornament? 

 

 

That is what Z dresses like, minus the crazy wigs and plus jewel-encrusted stilettos.

 

 

After reading that blog all day yesterday I really felt like I needed to make more of an effort at work.  I couldn't get away with those wild outfits at work but I wore this kind of sticky-outy Basque skirt:

 

 

 

 

I just wore it with a black singlet and cardigan.  My workplace is very casual and boring.

 

 

 

 

My cardi was a bit too long and it looked dorky so I copied Z and tied it in a midriff, Mariah Carey style.  My hair was a mess though, I had a vaccination yesterday and my arm is still really sore so I couldn't lift my hand up to my head.

 

 

 

 

I accessorised with this Valleygirl bow ring feat. greyish-blue stones ($2.95 in a set!) and actual nail polish on my fingernails.  Pinky browny neutral polish, but still.  It's OPI Tickle My France-y.

 

Obviously I didn't buy a $20 nail polish.  I stole it from Mum.

 

I also wore these Colette $5.95 earrings:

I'm not necessarily partial to bows, but I am partial to matching.

 

 

I'm also partial to a barbecue dinner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was haloumi too.  The best start to a weekend.

Food, Bargains and Stratty's 23rd

I have spent a lot of money lately so I am trying to recommit wholeheartedly to thrift.

James had a voucher for a free burrito at Guzman Y Gomez so we went to the Cronulla shop for lunch on Sautrday.  I had a mini burrito again ($6.50!).  We both chose beef this time and enjoyed it more than the chicken we had last time. 

Afterwards I discovered a corner shop selling old magazines for $1, $2 and $3 (depending how old).  I won't say which, because they might get shut down and then where would I buy magazines at a reasonable price?

Naturally I only bought the $1, but even so I was extra strict and narrowed my selection down to 2.  Cosmo's still not that good, in case you wondered.  Grazia is decent though and it was a bumper issue so well worth my dollar.

Then I came home to play Scrabble with Jimmy and Mum.  Jimmy won with almost 400 points.  What a champ.

Later I went out for my friend Stratty's birthday drinks!  Hello if you're reading and happy birthday!

I had dinner beforehand at Asian King, a Chinese restaurant in Newtown.  They had a deal where you could get a spring roll, a dim sim, steamed rice and a main meal for $12.80 or $15.80, depending how fancy a main you wanted.

$12.80 options included honey chicken (above) and something that looked a bit healthy (below).

I guess I am not as committed to thrift as I need to be, because I ordered Sizzling Thai Basil Chilli King Prawns from the posh menu:

I really enjoyed my prawns though, I think they were worth the extra $3.  I tasted the honey chicken too, which was nice, and also the salt and pepper squid, which I'm afraid I can't really recommend.

On the whole it was a great meal and I will definitely be back.  Thankyou Asian King for a rad dining experience!

Next we went to meet everyone at The Courthouse for drinks and pool and fun in general.

I thought Meg looked pretty good and so did The Willy.

You can't see it in the picture, but she was wearing a necklace with a PRETZEL pendant.

Wiggy wore a Back To The Future t-shirt, possibly the best piece of clothing a person could possibly own.

Everyone else looked like a bunch of babes too, I just couldn't be bothered taking any more pictures.

Today I stayed in, doing miscellaneous tasks and watching Desperate Housewives Season Five on DVD.

I polished my silver jewellery.

You can't tell really but it turned out SO SHINY.  It was pretty much bronze before.

Then I went to Kyle Bay Trivia, where we came third and I ate this garlic bread.

It was okay but I wish I had ordered chippies instead.

And now, a few of my recent thrifty purchases.

Myer had some shoes on sale last weekend.

I have been looking for simple but not dowdy black shoes for about six months so I was pleased to find these patent Miss Shop ones for $29.  They were only $49 originally so not an amazing bargain but they will do the job.

The following wedges weren't on my list but they were on the 75% Off Last Marked Price rack, which brought their price down to $12.50.

They are a bit reminiscent of The Duchess's, except higher and with an open toe and slingback.  So quite different, really.  I think they will be good to wear with black dresses in Summer though.  (I suppose it is nicer not to wear black in Summer but I can never help myself.)

The fabric of my leopard flats is coming apart so I bought these glitter gold ones at Kmart for $8.

They remind me of the sparkly shoes I used to wear when I was little, the ones with sequins and usually also satin roses on the toes.  Does anyone remember these?

I was looking for some hot pink jeans for a while but Kmart sold out of my size before I could get my hands on a pair, and anyway I remembered I had a hot pink blazer so I thought cobalt blue jeans might be better.

I got these at Big W for $18.86.  A great price but I prefer to buy my jeans too small because they stretch, and alas they didn't sell anything smaller than an 8 so these may end up too big.  I will have to see how they go.  They had heaps of other colours (I also bought navy but think they will go back) so if you are looking for some you should get over to Big W ASAP.  I mean Grand Double-Vay.

I have some other bargains too but I will have to show you later because I am too sleepy.